Rise & Shine! Your Newport County guide for Aug. 29
Rise & Shine! I’m Scott Barrett, managing editor for The Daily News, and today is Aug. 29, the 241st day of the year — 124 days remain in 2022. On this day in 2005, Hurricane Katrina slammed into the coast of New Orleans. The Category 3 storm resulted in more than 1,800 fatalities and caused an estimated $125 billion in damages.
Here & Now
• The dry weather this summer has taken its toll on my lawn, which is burnt to a crisp. But the lack of rain has really affected Rhode Island farmers, so much that U.S. Sen. Jack Reed stepped in to offer federal relief.
Just how bad has the season been? Daily News reporter Zane Wolfang last week stopped at the Aquidneck Growers Market to talk to area farmers about the impact, which could even end up putting a damper on your Christmas. Read his story here.
• A historic bed and breakfast with a front-row view of the Newport Pell Bridge recently was sold and will be converted into a single-family home. The price tag? A mere $5.5 million. You can read my story on the sale here.
• A retired Portsmouth fire chief is preparing to start his new job — as head of the Nantucket Fire Department. Though the town's decision to hire him is causing a bit of a stir. Read the story here.
• Will a couple of new recruits from the basketball team give the Middletown football program a boost this fall? Sports reporter Steve Rogers answers that and other burning questions about the Islanders' upcoming season here.
• The Tiverton Town Council will hold a special meeting tonight to discuss the funding requests from casino revenue. Check out the 178-page wish list here, and find the full agenda below.
• The Portsmouth Design Review Board tonight will take up the Community Church Housing Project at the former Anne Hutchinson School. Find the agenda below.
• The state Department of Transportation provided its weekly roadwork schedule for Newport County and the rest of the state. You can find it here.
• If you missed the fireworks at the Salute to Summer over the weekend, you can see a display — and reggae band The Ravers — tonight at Sachuest Beach as the Middletown summer concert series comes to a close. Learn more here.
• Today marks your last chance to climb the World War I memorial tower at Miantonomi Park, which opened to visitors each Monday in August from 2 to 6 p.m.
• From the inbox: According to a recent study, Rhode Island ranks No. 5 on a list of U.S. states with the best nursing homes. Hawaii tops the list, while Arkansas ranks last. Find the breakdown and methodology used here.
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Born today
Lea Michele (actress), 36
Emily Hampshire (actress), 41
Carla Gugino (actress), 51
Elliott Gould (actor), 84
Weather report
Low tides: 3:14 a.m., 3:26 p.m.
High tides: 9:48 a.m. 10 a.m.
Sunrise: 6:07 a.m. Sunset: 7:25 p.m.
Water temperature: 71.4 degrees.
Municipal meetings
Portsmouth
Design Review Board, 7 p.m.
Tiverton
Town Council, 6 p.m.
Little Compton
Recreation Committee, 6:30 p.m.
Local obituaries
Today is …
National Sports Day
Individual Rights Day
National Chop Suey Day
Where in Newport County?
Work on the memorial — which honors each branch of the military — began in 2019 after a group of local companies donated materials and services valued at roughly $55,000. Kudos to Andrea Borges, the lone person to identify this spot.
Got a news tip, story idea or just want to drop me a line? Don't be a stranger. Send an email to sbarrett@newportri.com.
This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: Rise & Shine! Your Newport County guide for Aug. 29, 2022
